Alexander Shchetinsky (Shchetynsky) was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine on 22 June 1960. In 1983 he graduated from V. Borisov's composition class at the Kharkiv Art Institute. He took part in Summer Courses for Young Composers in Kazimierz Dolny in Poland (1990, 1991), where he attended lectures by L. Andriessen, W. Lutoslawski, K. Penderecki, B. Schaeffer, M. Lindberg a.o. In 1992 he took part in master classes with Edison Denisov and Poul Ruders in Lerchenborg, Denmark.

Between 1982 and 1990 he taught composition at a children's music school in Kharkiv. In 1991 to 1995 he taught composition and instrumentation as well as a special course in techniques of contemporary music at the Kharkiv Art Institute. In 1995 he delivered a series of lectures on modern and contemporary music at the Ukrainian National Music Academy in Kyiv. He lectured on Ukrainian music and presented his own works at several international symposia in Germany and Slovakia. Now he lives as a free-lance composer in Kharkiv.

He was among the organisers of several contemporary music festivals in Ukraine and Russia. Since 1997 he is a member of the Art Council of the International Contemporary Music Festival Contrasts in Lviv, Ukraine.

AWARDS

A. Shchetynsky received awards at five composer's competitions:

in 1990 the Main and Special prizes at the International Composers' Competition Kazimierz Serocki in Poland,

in 1991 the First prize at the International Competition in Composition of Sacred Music in Fribourg, Switzerland,

in 1995 the Second prize at the International Witold Lutoslavski Composers Competition in Poland,

in 1996 the Second prize at the Henri Dutilleux International Composition Competition in Saint-Pierre-des-Corps, France,

in 1998 the Third prize at the Gustav Mahler International Composition Prize in Klagenfurt, Austria.

MAJOR PERFORMANCES

Since 1989 his compositions have been performed at numerous concerts in Europe and North America, presented at such festivals as Almeida in London, Fribourg Festival Of Sacred Music (Switzerland), Tage Fur Neue Musik in Zurich, Lerchenborg Music Days (Denmark), Bonner Herbst, Internationales Festival fur Neue Musik in Heidelberg, Sacro Art in Loccum (Germany), International Gaudeamus Music Week in Amsterdam, Presences in Paris, Musikforum Viktring-Klagenfurt (Austria), Warsaw Autumn, Moscow Autumn, Contrasts in Lviv (Ukraine), Melos-Ethos in Bratislava a.o. His music was broadcasted by Radio France, BBC, Radio Suisse Romande, Danmarks Radio, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Austrian TV and Radio Service, Polskie Radio 2.